


In Luke's Eyes

by frazelforever



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Point of View, Book 1: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson), Gen, One Shot, demigod diaries - referenced
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:14:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29715624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frazelforever/pseuds/frazelforever
Summary: Pages 361-369 of The Lightning Thief, as told in Luke's point of view.
Relationships: Luke Castellan/Thalia Grace - implied
Kudos: 4





	In Luke's Eyes

I tried out my new sword. 

Strike. Slash. Stab. Repeat. With each round came more memories. Running into Thalia for the first time, that day in Charleston, fighting a dragon in a cave. 

Undercut. Parry. Disarm. Repeat. Following that stupid goat from Zeus with her to that house with the leucrotae and Hal. 

Swipe. Step. Lunge. Repeat. Discovering Annabeth in the alleyway in Richmond. 

Sidestep. Hit. Twist. Repeat. Running into Grover, and Thalia convincing him to bring us along. 

Suddenly, I was on Half~Blood Hill. Thalia, Annabeth, Grover, and I had just escaped the Cyclopes' lair, and Annabeth was especially shaken. One of the youngest Cyclops was still following us. Some other monsters joined in the fight. Grover and Annabeth were fending the Cyclops, and Thalia and I were up against a couple of hellhounds. Thalia lifted Aegis, her shield, and charged closer to the two. "Luke! Go help Grover and Annabeth get into camp!" 

"But you'll die!" 

"I know! Just do it. Remember your promise, take care of Annabeth!" 

I turned around and struck the Cyclops in the back, easily disintegrating him. Yet another hellhound ran up to us, and we backed up. "Thalia! I can't leave you!" 

"Go, stupid! I'm not supposed to be alive anyway. See you in Elysium..." As we backed into camp borders, Thalia raised her sword, and summoned a blast of lightning, electrocuting all three hellhounds, and falling to the ground. We rushed to her, but it was too late. Suddenly, in a burst of white, a person appeared in front of all of this, and I knew he was Zeus. His aura was just like Thalia's but stronger, more commanding. 

"I cannot save her," He looked only somewhat remorseful. "but I can help her." He raised his hand towards Thalia, his first child since the second world war, and she morphed into a tree. "She will stand her and guard Camp forever." 

I blinked and I was back in front of the dummy, but someone was there, staring. "Percy." 

"Um, sorry. I just-" 

I cut him off. "It's okay, I was just doing some last minute practice." 

"Those dummies won't be bothering anybody anymore." 

"We build new ones every summer." He started glancing curious looks towards my sword. 

"Oh this?" I asked. "New toy. This is Backbiter." I rotated my four foot long sword, so that it would catch the sunlight. 

"Backbiter?" 

"One side is celestial bronze. The other is tempered steel. Works on mortals and immortals both." I gave him some time to realize what that would mean. 

Cautiously, Percy said, "I didn't know they made weapons like that." 

I thought about Chiron and his stupid morals. "They probably can't. It's one of a kind." I smiled as only a child of Hermes could. "Listen, I was just going to come looking for you. What do you say we go down to the woods one last time, look for something to fight?" 

He hesitated. "You sure that's a good idea? I mean-" 

"Aw, come on," I cut him off again, and showed him the best bribe one can have at camp: authentic, mortal-world, Coke. "Drinks are on me." 

He caved. "Sure. Why not?" 

I led him around the woods, trying to make it seem like I didn't already have a plan of where to go or what monsters to fight. I peered at his face, "You miss being on a quest?" 

"With monsters attacking me every three feet? Are you kidding?" 

I deadpanned him. 

"Yeah, I miss it. You?" 

I felt my face darken. "I lived at Half-Blood Hill year round since I was fourteen. Ever since Thalia..." I trailed off, remembering her face as she was molded in to the tree. "Well, you know. I trained and trained and trained. I never got to be a normal teenager, out there in the real world. They threw me one quest, and when I came back, it was like, 'Okay, ride's over. Have a nice life.'" I remember when I came back, the Hephaestus cabin still was working on their invention, not on producing mass weapons. The Apollo cabin still preferring to focus on the use of medicine and good health and not poisons and disease. I threw the coke can into the river. "The heck with laurel leaves. I'm not going to end up like one off those dusty trophies in the Big House attic." 

"You make it sound like you're leaving." 

I grinned. "Oh, I'm leaving all right, Percy." I imagined my destination, on the right hand of the great Time Lord. "I brought you down here to say goodbye. "Snapping, a small fire appeared in front of him, and out came a scorpion. Once, I ran into a nest for those once, and let's just say, not a fun experience. 

He got out his pen. "I wouldn't. Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce straight through your clothes. You'll be dead in about sixty seconds." 

"Luke, what-" he stopped. "You." 

"I saw a lot out there in the world." Such as my crazy mother or the presence of Tatarus. "Didn't you feel it-the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless this is? All the heroics-being pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods." 

"Luke, you're talking about our parents." 

I laughed. "That's supposed to make me love them? Their precious 'Western civilization' is a disease, Percy. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest." 

"You're as crazy as Ares." 

"Ares is a fool. He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time Percy, I could explain. But I'm afraid you won't live that long." The scorpion crawled closer to him. 

"Kronos," he said, as if it wasn't obvious already. "That's who you serve." 

I lowered my gaze. "You should be careful with names." 

"Kronos got you to steal the master bolt and the helm. He spoke to you in your dreams." 

"He spoke to you, too, Percy. You should have listened." 

"He's brainwashing you, Luke." Brainwashed? If anyone's brainwashed, it's him, believing that the gods actually care. 

"You're wrong. He showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what was my quest two years ago, Percy? My father, Hermes, wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I'd done, that was the best he could think up." 

"That's not an easy quest. Hercules did it." 

Ten points to Poseidon. "Exactly. Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to is replay their past. My heart wasn't in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this," I motioned to the scar on my face. "And when I came back., all I got was pity. I wanted to pull Olympus down stone by\ stone right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to steal something worthwhile, something no hero had ever had the courage to take. When we went on that winter-solstice field trip, while the other campers were asleep, I snuck into the throne room and took Zeus's master bolt right from his chair. Hades's helm of darkness, too. You wouldn't believe how easy it was. The Olympians are so arrogant; they never dreamed someone would dare steal from them. Their security is horrible. I was halfway across New Jersey before I heard the storms rumbling, and I knew they'd discovered my theft." 

The scorpion made more progress up Percy's leg. "So why didn't you bring the items to Kronos?" 

"I-" my grin found its way off my face. "I got overconfident. Zeus sent out his sons and daughters to find the stolen bolt- Artemis, Apollo, my father, Hermes. But is was Ares who caught me. I could have beaten him, but I wasn't careful enough. He disarmed me, took the items of power, threatened to return them to Olympus and burn me alive. Then Kronos's voice came to me and told me what to say. I put the idea in Ares's head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the items away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence." Running my hand down the edge of my sword, I continued. "Afterwar, the Lord of the Titans... h-he punished me with nightmares. I swore not to fail again. Back at Camp Half-Blood, in my dreams, I was told that a second hero would arrive, one who could be tricked into taking the volt and the helm the rest of the way-from Ares down to Tartarus." Look how well that turned out. 

"You summoned the hellhound, that night in the forest." 

"We had to make Chiron think the camp wasn't safe for you, so he would start you on your quest. We had to confirm his fears that Hades was after you. And it worked." 

"The flying shoes were cursed," Percy said, still piecing everything together. "They were supposed to drag me and the backpack into Tartarus." 

"And they would have, if you'd been wearing them. But you gave them to the satyr, which wasn't part of the plan. Grover messes up everything he touches. He even confused the curse." Peeking down at the scorpion, I realized it had made it up to Percy's thigh. "You should have died in Tartarus, Percy. But don's worry, I'll leave you with my little friend to set things right." 

"Thalia gave her life to save you, and this is how you repay her?" 

As if him saying her name triggered something, more memories with Thalia flooded my head. The time we saved up twenty dollars so we all could buy real cheeseburgers. Another when we walked through a town for an entire day, just because Annabeth was in awe of the architecture. When we bribed a man to take our picture and print three copies. 

I forced myself out of the stupor. "Don't speak of Thalia! The gods let her die! That's one of the many things they will pay for." 

"You're being used, Luke. You and Ares both. Don't listen to Kronos." 

"I've been used? Look at yourself. What has your dad ever done for you? Kronos will rise. You've only delayed his plans. He will cast the Olympians into Tartarus and drive humanity back to their caves. All except the strongest-the ones who serve him." 

"Call off the bug," he had the audacity to say. "If you're so strong, fight me yourself." 

"Nice try Percy. But I'm not Ares. You can't bait me. My lord is waiting, and he's got plenty of quests for me to undertake." 

"Luke-" 

For the last time that day, I cut him off, "Good-bye. Percy. There is a new Golden Age coming. You won't be part of it." 

The scorpion lunged at Percy. 

Raising my sword, I slashed through the air walked through the newly formed portal. 

"He is taken care of, my lord." 

**Author's Note:**

> I had to write this for a school assignment. I don't think I did too bad.
> 
> Also, I would appreciate it if you were to point out any grammar/spelling mistakes.


End file.
